DURING MARCH 1-2 EVENTS, SNIPER SHOT ONCE BY ORDER OF FORMER COMMANDER OF POLICE TROOPS

Noyan Tapan

Dec 12, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The chairman of the RA National
Assembly Ad Hoc Committee on Inquiry into March 1-2 Events
in Yerevan and their Causes, secretary of "RPA" faction Samvel
Nikoyan has returned some of the documents given to the Committee
by the prosecutor’s office to the investigation group on the March 1
case. These documents establish the identity of the sniper included in
the police troops during the March 1-2 events. The chief investigator
for especially important cases of the RA Special Investigation Service,
head of the investigation group on the March 1 case Vahagn Harutyunian
applied to the Committee with the request to limit information on the
identity of that sniper and prevent further publication, S. Nikoyan
said at the December 12 sitting of the Committee.

According to S. Nikoyan, he again requested the U.S. embassy in
Armenia to help make an expert examination (at some international
expert examination center) of the discovered "Cheryomukha 7" capsules
which caused deaths and 4 KS-23 guns, from which these capsules were
shot. The purpose is to solve the problem of individual identification
of Cheryomukha’s use. This issue is important because out of the 8
civilians who died during the March 1 events, 3 died from Cheryomukha,
one person died from a blow by a blunt object, and another 4 persons
died from gunshot wounds.

The Committee’s chairman also said that the day before some members of
the Committee had had a working meeting with the former commander of
the police troops, Lieutenent General Grigor Grigorian, as a result of
which it was decided to ensure a closed-door hearing of G. Grigorian’s
explanations about the actions of the police troops – at the December
12 sitting. It was mentioned that by inviting a closed sitting,
the Committee complied with the request of G. Grigorian. S. Nikoyan
noted that G. Grigorian is the first former official who respected
the Committee’s request and came to its sitting.

During a press conference following the sitting, the members of the
Committee informed journalists about the explanations that G. Grigorian
had given at the sitting. It was mentioned that the weapons used by
police on March 1 were immediately seized and subjected to ballistic
examination, and so far there has been no fact that a person died
from these weapons. It was stated that the police troops used such
special anti-riot weapons as "Zarya" with a sound and light effect and
"Cheryomukha 7" gas, as well as fire-arms.

In the words of G. Grigorian, he had an impression that the attacks of
demonstrators on police troops had an organized rather than spontaneous
character, despite the attemps to present the attacks in this way.

Demonstrators used combat grenades, fire-arms which were, however,
used to frighten rather than kill policemen as they would fire into
the air, also "hedgehogs", and "Zarya" special weapon.

According to G. Grigorian, the police had 10 special weapons,
6 of which were used in Grigor Lusavorich Avenue, while 4
weapons at Monument to A. Myasnikian that had not been used were
returned. However, by G. Grigorian’s estimates, over 20 such special
weapons were used in the given area which makes one conclude that
demonstrators also had special weapons in their arsenal. He also
assured the Committee that the sniper fired only one shot, and all
the time he was standing beside him. The only shot of the sniper
was fired by order of G. Grigorian with the aim of neutralizing the
demonstrator who had fired at serviceman Tigran Abgarian.